But it looked cheap and that was that. Stepping inside, he could only hope that Helio could help him.

  —---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

  Jax stood at the door and took a deep breath. He could already feel his bank emptying just looking at it. Still, there was nothing he could do about it. It would be nigh impossible to get a decent job with one arm. Most would demand a prosthetic and deduct the price from his pay. Jax pushed the thoughts to the side; there was no need to get worked up now. A quote doesn’t hurt, and he can decide later. Turning the knob, he pushed open the door and was blasted with a spray.

  “What the…” Jax coughed up.

  It was an acrid, eye-watering stench that burned his nose. Even a few breaths in, the pungent smell was starting to give him a headache. He needed his respirator right now because it was making him lightheaded. Holding his shirt to his nose, he tried to filter out the fumes, but it didn’t work. As the substance evaporated, the horrid smell dissipated. Whatever it was, he didn’t like it. With a free and clear mind, he continued towards the receptionist.

  “Hello, is uhh Helios in?” He asked nicely.

  The receptionist didn’t even bother to glance at him. Instead, she continued to type away at her computer, the mechanical keyboard clicking extra loud with each press. It was an annoying noise that filled the space. What was with all these desk workers? He just wanted some help, and they were so hostile.

  “Mam…?”

  “I heard you, don’t need to ask twice.” She replied and didn’t even move.

  Once again, Jax stood awkwardly at the desk. Trying to keep his composure as the loud clanking keyboard pounded his ears.

  “Rachel? Did somebody enter? I thought I heard the…Oh HI!” A man walked out of the back room and instantly smiled.

  He was a short…very short—man with a mighty presence. His lineage included some gnome blood. His hair was brown and somewhat messy. His body was lanky, and his face was quite stern-looking. His gait was short and fast-paced as he rushed towards Jax. The man barely reached past his abs, but this still made the slayer step back.

  “Sorry, Dad, Didn’t want to bug you. He looked like another freeloader,” She said with a gaze that could slay giants.

  “Rachel, I’m glad you play bouncer, but a customer is a customer. Let me judge their accounts,” he said with a smile.

  “Now come, come” The smaller man grabbed Jax by the shirt and pulled.

  He was pretty strong for his size and pulled him over. The man didn’t even look back as he drugged Jax to the back offices. The slayer bent awkwardly as he followed the shorter man.

  “Helios is the name and healing is the game. But I’m sure you figured that one out.” Helios said as he entered the room.

  “OK, Let’s see the damage.” He snapped, and instantly, Jax was fully nude. His clothes disappeared without a trace.

  “Hey! What the…” Helios pushed him onto the table.

  “Stop whining; time is money.” His eyes started to glow, and his fingers became translucent.

  “I don’t con…OH, THAT’S COLD”. Jax was starting to panic as the healer shoved his hands through his skin. It was a strange sensation as he could feel the fingers twitching within, but there was no pain.

  “If you can’t keep quiet, I’ll snip those vocal chords of yas. You came for help; now sit and let me work.”

  Jax didn’t argue. Helios was already knuckle deep in his guts, and pissing the healer off wouldn’t end well.

  “Hmmm….You got the shit beat out of ya. Literally, I can see some Diverticulitis, fractures galore, and what is this…minor sepsis.” He pulled his hands out, and the color shifted.

  “You know, I swear you newbies are so reliant on technology and magic that you forget the basics. Where are your tattoos? Where are you scouts? Did you just rush headfirst into this death god? I swear.” He continued ranting about the new wave of slayers and how they ruined such a good profession.

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  Jax could feel the magic seeping into his body. The various aches and pains dulling as the deft fingers reconstructed his innards. At one point, he could feel a tug, and Helios took out a chunk of slime.

  “Just gathered rot,” he said, tossed the mass of bacteria and flesh into a container, and continued.

  “They are doing commercials now! Fucking commercials, like they don’t get paid enough tax dollars already. You are lucky I keep my services cheap. I’m in it for the…Oh, hang on” he pulled his hands out as his eyes started to fade.

  “I need to recharge. Give me a moment…RACHEL MORE JUICE!” He called out.

  He went to the sink and washed his hands. As he dried his hands, Rachel opened the door and wheeled in a glass cooler filled with a pulsating green liquid. It had a little tap to siphon the material and various tubes connecting to a floating head. As he walked over to the device, the head shifted and a look of horror appeared on the woman’s face.

  “Helios, please! No more! I have nothing left to give…you’ve taken it all,” she cried out.

  He ignored the trickery and turned back to Jax.

  “See, this is how you make it. It's one of many so-called life gods I have stored up. Healing magic is best when fresh; it took me years to get the modifications to preserve them. City demands 9 out of every 10 I capture. Those rich pricks are wasting their energy on bigger tits and longer schlongs. Still, I keep the best for myself.”

  “Helios! I beg you; I’ll make you a king. We can reinvigorate this place and make it a bastion of life like my old nation. None will fear sickness or disease!”

  “Ahh, shut it. I saw your old kingdom, ya hag. Sure, ya gave out free healthcare, but the moment somebody complained, they lost it all. Aint much free when you are bound by health.” He shook the container, causing the head to bounce around the goo.

  “Cover your ears, would you? " he said as Rachel handed him some earplugs. Jax quickly complied.

  Grabbing the tap, the smell of ozone filled the air as the device activated. The goddess’ high-pitched screams filled the air. It was a wail of pure agony as electricity coursed through the fluid. The goo brightened as the divine essence was forcefully pulled from the head. A fresh scent quickly replaced the sterile smell. Like walking through a forest right after it rained, it was pleasant on the nose while her wails stung the ears.

  Twisting it shut, the device halted, and the goddess went comatose. He turned back and held a cup full of raw life essence. The goo already had bits of sprouting plant matter floating throughout it. Helios quickly pounded it back, his face grimacing as he slurped down the chunky fluid.

  “Arghsh. It never gets easier, but my golly, does it get the blood pumping!” he said, wiping his lips.

  When he reactivated his skill, it went from a faint glow to a bright light.

  “Now that’s what I’m talking about,” He said with glee, then dove back in.

  He knew the man meant no harm, but healers were always slightly off. A lingering unease was set in his mind. Many horror stories originated from disgruntled healers. They quickly picked up tricks of the gods they slew and used them. Some were quite insidious in their work. He wasn’t sure about this one, but Roderick had given an entire kingdom a form of fatal insomnia. It was a long con, slowly infecting the cattle with modified prions. Working his way through the markets and contaminating the food. As the months passed, the kingdom began falling apart. People went crazy from the lack of sleep, riots formed in the streets, and thousands perished daily. All so he could starve out the god they worshiped.

  Others used their skills in more direct combat, implanting a seed and letting it grow within their enemy, increasing muscle mass so quickly that the flesh burst, and even overclocking hormonal production to give others such ravenous hunger that they consumed their own comrades—death-aspected slayers killed with a touch. Healers were brutal, using a twisted mind to devise their offensive techniques.

  “Whew, all done now. Should be better than new. As a first-time bonus, I gave you a bit of reinforcement in your bones. Check your stats!” He pulled up a portal scanner.

  Sure enough, his constitution went up a single point. That in itself was worth the trouble.

  “With that done, I’d say it’s going to cost 47,000 credits. Rachel, go ahead and ring him up while I figure out this arm issue.”

  Jax’s heart dropped. He didn’t have those funds. Clearly, his face said it all as Helios looked him in the eye.

  “Now, Jax buddy, you are not going to skimp me now, right? I did you are biiiig favor and any other would charge you triple.” Helios grinned, but Jax could feel the air start to tingle. Helios was building up power.

  Jax felt the man’s grip tighten, the fingers slipping into the tendons and sending a sharp pain up the arm. Just like that, his dream was shattered, and he would be indentured by this man.

  “I…don’t have that” he said, holding back the tears.

  All this time, all this work, even face death itself…for nothing. He is poorer than when he began and still missing his dominant arm.

  “Oi, don’t fucking cry! Let me see your account. RACHEL!” He moved the arm to the bioscanner and peered over the funds.

  “Damn, Sorry about that one.” He turned to his daughter.

  “See, Dad, freeloader. I knew I showed up and kicked em to the curb.” They both continued to talk as if he weren’t there. And honestly, he was nothing in their eyes—just another peasant wandering the mid-town streets.

  “Well, Jax, normally, I’d say our friendship is over. Garnish your wages and kick you back on the street.” Jax stood and moved to the door.

  Helios countered, his hand exploding into a twisting mass of bloody sinew. The ball of meat slammed the door shut, trapping Jax.

  “But I like desperate folk and you reek of it. Let’s say we do a…mutual exchange.”

  Jax knew he would regret this, but what choice did he have?